Author: Chris Reilly, MA, MPIA
Brain-machine interfaces (BMIs), also referred to as brain-computer interfaces (BCIs),
are electronic devices that enable detection of activity in the brain or nervous system, direct the
operation of computerized machines or devices, and often send signals back to the brain in order
to generate further outcomes. BMIs offer a host of applications, both therapeutic and consumer
oriented, but they also pose unique problems for the safety, privacy, and psychological identity
of the user. The status of BMI devices as commodities also places the users in a decidedly
unequal position relative to the manufacturers and retailers of the equipment and software. These
issues, along with concern for the spiritual engagement of users with technologies that
significantly impact their minds and experience of embodiment and ensoulment, make
development of BMIs a topic that should be of particular interest to Catholic theologians and
healthcare professionals.
